August 25, 2016

Tractors, smugglers, and the matryoshka from hell


Tractors, smugglers, and the matryoshka from hell

Olympian Update 
A special section during the Rio Olympics

ibtimes.co.uk

The Games are over, and as predicted, Russia kept fourth place in the medal count, rounding out with a total of 56 medals: 19 gold, 18 silver, and 19 bronze. Though the Russian team shrunk by about one-third after the doping accusations, the Games were attended by 280 Russian athletes – 107 of whom became medalists – and one matryoshka from hell. Yes, you read that right.

Transport Troubles

1. The only thing worse than getting stuck in a giant matryoshka: getting stuck in an airport because of a giant matryoshka. Russia’s Olympic team was delayed in Rio for hours due to “congestion”: specifically, the team’s gigantic nesting doll – re-named “the matryoshka from hell” – getting caught in the door of the plane. Couldn’t they just un-nest the dolls to get all the pieces on board?

2. Illegal smugglers will do anything to make a buck. Including – invest in improving local infrastructure? In this case, gangs of smugglers repaired a gravel road along the Belarussian border to ease their transport of sanctioned goods across the border. The “expertly repaired” road now has officials on the lookout for the repair workers – but whether it’s to punish them or give them a new job remains uncertain.

3. A convoy of tractors was on a roll toward Moscow until a police blockade stopped them in their tracks. Farmers from Kuban’ had started the roll to get national officials to address local corruption and attacks on their land. The tractor march, a rare example of public dissent outside of major cities, was stalled many times before being suspended altogether. Maybe next time they’ll hire the smugglers’ roadbuilders to pave them a new path.

In Odder News

  • Dance of the Vampires hits Moscow. Specifically, the wildly popular musical, which will adapt to the challenges of the Russian stage.
  • With a bear on the loose in the Siberian settlement of Khanty-Mansiysk, residents are warned not to shoot it – with their cameras or phones, that is.
  • A Russian couple climbed the highest construction site in the world. Luckily, no one sneezed.
meduza.io

Quote of the Week

A matryoshka doll from the Russian House got stuck in the airport doors :))) nobody understands what to do with it)))."
Dmitry Simonov, who is deputy editor of the Sport-Express newspaper, tweeting on the Russian Olympic team’s ill-fated nesting doll.

Want more where this comes from? Give your inbox the gift of TWERF, our Thursday newsletter on the quirkiest, obscurest, and Russianest of Russian happenings of the week.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955